Across ten of the UK’s largest regional office markets, more than 5 million sq ft of office space was taken up in 2025.
Manchester passed 1 million sq ft. Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol each exceeded 600,000 sq ft.
Companies are still committing to offices.
But what is actually making them commit?
The phrase “flight to quality” gets used constantly across the property market. But what does quality really mean?
- A smarter reception?
- Better coffee?
- More plants?
Or is it a building that is easy to occupy, reliably connected, comfortable, secure, sustainable, and genuinely supports the way people now work?
Because signing a lease is only half the challenge.
A company might choose an office once every five or ten years.
Its employees choose whether they want to use it every single day.
That feels like the more important question.
What actually makes somebody leave the comfort and convenience of home to travel into an office?
- Is it a collaboration?
- Culture?
- Better technology?
- A sense of purpose?
- Or simply being around the right people in the right environment?
Research from Gensler found that people working in great workplaces were almost three times more likely to stay with their employer, feel valued, and believe their environment supported their growth.
Yet only 26% strongly agreed that their current workplace helped them do their best work.
That is quite a gap.
At the same time, hybrid working is clearly here to stay. Research has shown that hybrid working can improve job satisfaction and reduce resignations without damaging performance.
- So, is the opportunity really about demanding more office days?
- Or is it about making office days more worthwhile?
- Are landlords, agents, and occupiers measuring both decisions?
The company’s decision to lease the space.
And the employee’s decision to attend it.
I do not think any one party has all the answers.
But I do believe the buildings that win will join the dots between location, experience, connectivity, comfort, sustainability, and usable data.
The most successful offices will not simply achieve occupancy.
They will earn attendance.